Cappoquin Heritage Group

Tuesday, November 22, 2011

They’re back! This year’s instalment of the Cappoquin Christmas Collection has just hit the shops and can be bought at the Post Office, the Credit Union and at Murrays in Barrack Street. The 2011 series is bigger than last year’s, and contains nine different Christmassy scenes in all. For obvious reasons, scenes from the frozen Blackwater of late 2010 are found on several of the cards, but you will also find some lovely images of DromanaBridge, Twigbog, St Anne’s Church and the Corner Stone.

The cost of this year’s cards is as competitive as ever, at just one euro each. All profits from sales go to support the work of Cappoquin Heritage Group and, as always, we will give details of profits, if any, after Christmas. With a print run of just 900 cards, and with over 100 gone in five days, it is time to get the skates on (remember 2010?) and get your Cappoquin themed cards for Christmas before it’s too late. Sincere thanks to the people who supplied images which we could not use in the end and, naturally, to those whose images have been used on these cards. These included Cara and Gina McGrath, Noel O’Donoghue, Steve O’Shea, Kerry McLaughlin, Brendan Connors and a special thanks to Yvonne O’Sullivan, to whom we extend our deepest sympathy at this difficult time.

This week’s picture comes from the new Christmas Collection and features a Noel O’Donoghue painting called ‘Home for Christmas at the Cornerstone’. Well done to Cara for all her work on this project.

Remembering the Tailors

A number of enquiries have been made in recent days regarding the Tailors premises, which has been cleared out. We can allay people’s fears by telling you that the landlord has been more than helpful in allowing members of the Heritage Group to access the building and rescue items of particular significance relating to this iconic premises and family.

We have a literal mountain of items, postcards, old dockets, photos, GAA memorabilia etc which we hope to put on display sometime in 2012, possibly around the time of the Cornerstone Carnival. It is too early to confirm this as yet but rest assured that anything that could be done by our small group to preserve this aspect of Cappoquin’s heritage has been in hand for quite some time. The landlord and the family of Noel and Thomas have been very supportive all through and the Beekeepers Association have also been doing great work. More on the exhibition plans in due course.

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Our link to the past this week comes from a 1927 copy of An Sleibhtánach, the MountMelleray annual which contained a wealth of stories, poems and folklore over the years. It also contained advertisements and this week we feature a group of Cappoquin businesses and the wares they were advertising all of eighty-four years ago. Enjoy!

Christmas Cards (almost) last call

We are fast approaching the deadline for Christmas card photos or artwork. Pop into the credit union or let any Civic Link member know if you would like to see your handiwork on a 2011 Christmas card.

CountyArchivist talks

Keep your eyes open for news of the series of talks beginning this week at the community centre, with County Archivist Joanne Rothwell sure to engage and entertain as she deals with the topic of health and wealth in 19th century Waterford.

Local hurlers to the fore

Amid scenes of great excitement on successive nights, three local hurling teams qualified for Western Finals last weekend. It was great to see both Cappoquin and Tourinintermediate hurlers overcome their semi final opponents on the same afternoon to set up what should bea great final in a couple of weeks time. The following day, Melleray Glen Rovers made it a hat trick for the parish when they overcame Abbeyside to qualify for the Western Junior Final.

In terms of historical parallels, we can point to the very last game played by Cappoquin and Affane as separate clubs being in junior hurling in 1968. Cappoquin and Tourin have crossed hurleys on several occasions, most recently in the preliminary rounds of this year’s championship. Back in the early 1960s, Cappoquin and Melleray played each other in a primary hurling final, the only time as far as our records can tell that two teams from Cappoquin parish played each other in a divisional final. We stand to be corrected on that one but in the meantime, in the interests of fairness to all, may all three of them win in the upcoming games, impossible as that may be!!

Cappoquin’s double Olympic boxer

One of Cappoquin’s favourite Tipperarymen has located a most interesting article in last week’s ‘Tipperary Star’. Written by Bansha sports historian Michael O’Dwyer, it deals with a famous Irish boxer named ‘Boy’ Murphy whose father hailed from Tipperary. This Olympic great went within one fight of a medal at two successive Games, in 1924 and 1928. According to the article, Murphy was born in what is now Pakistan but the detail which really caught the eye was that his mother came from, believe it or not, Cappoquin, Co. Waterford. We haven’t managed to contact Michael before this week’s press deadline but hope to do so in the coming days. If and when more details emerge, you will be among the first to know.

Club Directory Update

We are currently working on an update of our clubs and society directory. The existing one can be checked out on the web at www.cappoquin.net. While we will do everything we can to get the directory as accurate as possible, we are hoping that clubs and societies will let us know of any changes of personnel, contact details etc in the coming weeks before we go to press in early October. Similarly, any new club or voluntary group in the area which wants to have its contact details included, let Cara, Cindy or any member of the Civic Link committee know as soon as possible.

Masquerade Ball

The masquerade Ball sub committee will be kicking into action this week, preparing the way for this year’s extravaganza. Once again, the Boathouse will be the venue and the date of this year’s event has been fixed for Saturday, 29th October. All profits from this event, as last year, will go towards the umbrella insurance which Civic Link takes out, and which helps to cover the Carnival, Santa at the Square, the Tradfest and a number of other events annually. The even better news this year is that admission prices are going to remain at just €10, as the aim is every bit as much to have fun as it is to raise funds. So put the date in your diary for the sixth annual Cappoquin Masquerade Ball

Tuesday, September 13, 2011

This week’s blast from the past features a group of fifth-year students at St. Anne’s Secondary School in the early 1980s. If they look a bit ‘old’ for the eighties, the reason is simple enough. These ‘magnificent eight’ were extras in the BBC production of ‘One of Ourselves’, shot mainly in Cappoquin. The film starred local lad Stephen Mason alongside legend Cyril Cusaack and a host of stars, while other locals like Carmel Allen, Aidan Walsh, Bridget Uniacke and the late Rita McCarthy and Tom Hackett among others saw action too.

The scene in the photograph here is taken outside the parochial hall, which featured in the film as the local cinema. It is probably embarrassment enough for those in the picture for them to be shown here, so we will skip the names on this occasion. It’s not too difficult to recognise them anyway, though most are minus the caps and most of the hair today!

Christmas Card photos

We have received a number of pictures to date in our appeal for possible Christmas Card images for 2012. Please keep them coming as we hope to make a decision on the six card designs within the next three weeks or so in order to have them out in good time for the festive season. Cara at the Credit Union (mcgrath.cara@gmail.com) or any other Civic Link member will be delighted to hear from you. Electronic copies of any images would be best but we can manage them anyway we get them really.

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Last week’s picture has been identified as a scene from 1936, but the reason behind Sargent’s Garage selling three different brands of fuel remains a mystery, even to serious car experts locally. This week we re-live the golden age of the steamboat with a scene from the Steamer’s Quay around the early 1890s. If you look closely enough you can see the new panelling on the red bridge, the ticket box for collecting the fares and there is even a little boy dressed in a sailor suit, perhaps for his very first trip to Youghal. Who knows what an adventure he had that day?

Following the great work done on the red bridge car park by Civic Link and the Council, the Heritage Group has been working hard of late trying to progress a possible restoration to modern standards of the Steamer’s Quay, and we have been very heartened by the backing we have received from landowners and river users alike. Our aim is simply to see the Quay restored for use by boats of any description and there is no desire to make money from the venture. It could be a great boost to local river use, and to tourist interest in the area and we are committed to doing all that a small voluntary group can do to bring this about.

‘Off the Top’

With the opening of Cappoquin’s first barber’s shop (i.e. for the guys only) in more than thirty years now just a few days away (Aug 30), it is great to hear that the name of Mark Ferguson’s new establishment is derived from one of the favourite sayings of our last barber, the late Paddy Connolly of Upper Main Street. We have narrowed down the date of Paddy’s closure for business to between 1974 and 1980 or so but if anyone can be more precise do let us know. In the meantime, the best of luck to Mark in his new venture beside Super Valu – no news as yet whether hair transplants are also available!

Ap training

Some of our members were heading for the launch of the mobile phone application devoted to Dungarvan history this week and we are very hopeful that we can access training to allow us to develop something similar for Cappoquin in the coming months.

Heritage Christmas Cards

This year’s stock of postcards on local themes are selling very well and can still be bought in either the credit union or post office. We have also decided to produce a new series of local Christmas cards for this year. However, this year we would like to invite anyone who has taken ‘Christmassy’ images of local scenes in the past to submit them to us and we will use the best six as the images for this year’s cards. Ideally, we need to get pictures in before the end of September and we will be happy to give some free Christmas cards (as well as the obvious fame involved!) to the people whose photos, or paintings, are selected. Any Heritage Group or Civic Link member will be glad to hear from you on this one.

This week, we hope people will take a new look at an old picture. The scene shows what we presume to be members of West Waterford Hunt setting out from the Square and coming up Main Street. Image enhancement has shown that the number plates visible on the cars are KI 2200 and KI 1969. If anyone can date the picture, or identify the cars, do let us know. More curious still is the fact that the petrol pumps at Sargent’s Garage on the right are selling at least three different brands of petrol. From the left, you can see the SHELL logo, and then TEXACO and ESSO closer to the main garage shop. Can anyone explain how that could be, please? Those who can recall Sargent’s were of the view it was an ESSO garage, so the SHELL and TEXACO pumps are certainly curiosities.

County Council Thanks

While we continue to lobby the Council on some matters of footpath safety, playground maintenance and lighting, we should also reiterate that the Council has been great in the assistance it has given to the clean up of the Inch car park a few weeks ago. Exciting plans are coming from the CountyMuseum also, relating to the development of web-based heritage trails in different places around the county. With the work we have already done on the Cappoquin Heritage trails being available online at www.cappoquin.net already, we are very hopeful of being able to link with the museum’s initiative in the near future.

More recently still, it is an absolute joy to see Cappoquin’s Carnegie Library back close to full operation. Mrs Muriel Cullen has taken up the job of branch librarian since last week and the branch is now open for a total of 18 hours a week. We wish Muriel the very best of luck in her new role. Monday and Fridays sees opening times from 10.00 to 1.00 and from 2.00 to 5.00, while Thursday’s opening times are 1.00 to 4.00 and 5.00 to 8.00.

Reflective Jackets

Civic Link recently purchased a set of two dozen reflective jackets and if any community group would like to borrow some of these for safety purposes during their own activities, any committee member will be glad to help arrange the loan.

Working on the Inch

Some of our members have been hard at work in recent weeks on ideas which might form part of our efforts to improve the Inch area. Our last meeting agreed to call a meeting of any interested parties to discuss the possibilities before any further action is considered. This will be advertised in due course.

This week's photograph is a relatively recent one for us in heritage terms but a very historic one nevertheless. It shows the retirement celebration of Mrs Ellen Scanlan from the Boys' National School, Cappoquin in 1977. Pictured, from left, are Shaun Moynihan (principal), James Bennett, Mrs Scanlan, Pat Fleming, Sr. Mary Darcy and the late Bessie Cahill.

The photograph is particularly significant as Mrs Scanlan reached the great age of 100 years at the end of June, and many congratulations to her on reaching this milestone. Who knows how many hundreds and perhaps thousands of local children learnt handwriting, spelling, reading and so on from this great lady?

Mrs Scanlan's teaching service locally saw her in Mount Melleray Girls National School from 1931 to 1942, in Villierstown National School from 1943 to 1950, followed by service in Cappoquin Boys School from 1950 until 30th June 1977. Amazing.

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

With the heady events of last weekend seeing three Waterford teams qualify for All-Ireland semi finals, two hurling and one camogie, there could only be one picture for our notes this week. For the first time since 1948, Waterford have both senior and minor teams in the hurling semi-finals. Back in 1948, they went on to score a fantastic double by winning both titles. The minor team then was powered by seven Cappoquin club members on that occasion, six playing on the team and the coach being Paddy Cunningham of Barrack Street. Our picture this week shows the group known to this day locally as ‘the Magnificent Seven’ a full twenty years before Yul Brynner, Steve McQueen and other non-hurlers ‘borrowed’ the title from them (Wouldn’t McQueen have made a great centre back!). Standing (from left) are Michael Kelleher, Vincent Walsh, Joe Flynn and Paddy Cunningham, while in front are Michael O’Connor, Billy Conway and Michael Browne.

One footnote. Few people may realise the great efforts, for absolutely no reward, that the Waterford players and members of the management team put in to help our Blackwater Crossing long puck recently. They couldn’t have been more supportive, and it was great to see the rejuvenation of the senior team last Sunday in Thurles. The standard of hurling in Waterford, from underage to senior, hasn’t been as strong as this in fifty years, and don’t let anyone tell you differently, whatever happens on Sunday week.

Postcards

Just a reminder that our series of local postcards is back on sale for the summer, available at the Credit Union and one or two more local outlets. These were very popular last summer and already are flying out the door, almost Harry Potter style, this year too. All profits go towards funding heritage-related projects, such as the exhibition.

Autumn Exhibition

Our heritage group is at work currently in trying to put together an exhibition for the autumn devoted to school days past and present. We are trying to track down copybooks and other school memorabilia, as well as copies of the folklore and stories written by local children in various primary schools during the 1930s and much more recently. If anyone has items that you think we can use, please let a committee member know.

About Us

Cappoquin Heritage Group is committed to preserving and promoting awareness of our area's rich local heritage in as many ways as possible; we are a non-profit voluntary group under the umbrella of Cappoquin Civic Link.